Canadian Public Opinion Polls on Afghanistan

[The Bread Guy]

From Angus Reid:

Fewer adults in Canada are supportive of the military mission in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 59 per cent of respondents oppose the operation involving Canadian soldiers, up 10 points since February.

(....)

                      Jun 2010          Apr 2010          Feb 2010

Support              37%                  39%                47

Oppose              59                      56                  49

Not sure              4                        6                    4

Methodology: Online interviews with 1,007 Canadian adults, conducted on Jun. 11 and Jun. 12, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.....

Full survey attached

 

[Edward Campbell]

And based on that sort of polling Iggy Iffy Icarus and Bob Rae want Stephen Harper to extend the mission, in some form, beyond 2011 ... is that it?

Bonne chance!

 

[Jungle]

And based on that sort of polling Iggy Iffy Icarus and Bob Rae want Stephen Harper to extend the mission, in some form, beyond 2011 ... is that it?

Bonne chance!

I think we should change the name of the "opposition" in government; it has come to a point they will "oppose" any and all actions/decisions the govt makes.

We have an excellent example here: the opposition opposed keeping Troops in Afghanistan beyond 2011; now that the govt is on board, the opposition shifts it's position to oppose the govt's decision to withdraw... this is getting ridiculous...

Now I wish we had a "shake-your-head" smilie; kind of like this one:  :nod: but the shake would be horizontal... 

 

[The Bread Guy]

From Postmedia News:

Canadians support their soldiers and believe in the country's combat mission in Afghanistan.

But they still want the soldiers home by 2011 — as originally scheduled. They do not want Canadian Forces to stay until 2014, when Afghan security forces would "lead and conduct military operations in all provinces," setting a potential timeline for foreign troops' departure.

Almost 80 per cent of Canadians still want to end the mission in Afghanistan in 2011, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for canada.com showed.

"These numbers are very indicative of a public that is now, in their minds, out of Afghanistan. They've made a conscious decision as a nation that we are exiting," John Wright, senior vice-president of the polling firm, said Wednesday.

"This is the first time we've seen very significant numbers saying we want to end the mission when it's supposed to end and . . . we've done our job as a nation and let's move on to another agenda."

(....)

Less than a quarter of surveyed respondents argue that ending Canadian's current role in Afghanistan in 2011 might undermine current progress and believe we should extend the mission through to 2014.

Residents in Quebec were most emphatic about ending the mission even with the new end date, trailed by Alberta, Atlantic Canada, B.C., Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Canadians' ideas of what should happen after the mission is clear: 57 per cent — with a majority from province to province — said they want to bring our troops home after pulling out of Afghanistan while only 12 per cent suggest we should stay.

One in three Canadians supported a compromise, where troops would stay but only to help train Afghan soldiers or police officers.

(....)

Between July 30 and Aug. 4, 1,608 Canadian adults were interviewed for the survey, which has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

 

[The Bread Guy]

....straight from the horse's mouth, Ipsos Reid - all attached.  Some highlights:

Canadians’ desire for what should happen after the mission is becoming clearer as the mission approaches its final year. Nearly six in ten (57%) Canadians overall – including a majority in every province – say that when the combat mission ends they’d most support Canada ‘bringing all of our troops home’ (up 5 points since last year and 20 points from 2008). On the opposite side of the spectrum, one in ten (12%) believe the combat mission in Afghanistan should be extended as required (down 2 points since last year). Staking out a compromise, one in three (31%) Canadians believe that we should ‘keep troops there but have them do something like train Afghani soldiers or police officers’ (up 4 points).

(....)

What is also clear is most Canadians’ unwavering support of the troops: eight in ten (81%) ‘agree’ (7 or higher on a scale of 1-10) that they are ‘proud of the men and women who serve in our armed forces’, down just 1 point since last year and relatively unchanged in the aftermath of recent news reports regarding high-ranking Canadian Forces officials.

- edited to consolidate some attachments -

 

[The Bread Guy]

Public support for Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan has hit a low point, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

Practically half of Quebecers “strongly oppose” the military operation.

Public support for Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan has hit a low point, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,009 Canadian adults, just over a third of respondents (35%, -4 since August) support the military operation involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan—the lowest level recorded over the past two years. More than half of respondents (55%, +2) oppose the war.

The Mission

The level of “strong opposition” to the war outranks the level of “strong support” by a 3-to-1 margin (34% to 11%). Practically half of Quebecers (49%) say they “strongly oppose” the operation.

Almost half of Canadians (47%, -4) think Canada made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan, while one third (32%, -6) believe it was the right thing to do. The only area where a plurality of respondents stands by Canada’s decision is Alberta (43% to 38%). Across the country, 53 per cent of respondents feel that they have a clear idea of what the war in Afghanistan is all about ....

More here and in attached.

 

[The Bread Guy]

A VERY interesting read by Terry Glavin on why more Canadians responding to public opinion polling may not be supporting missions - highlights mine:

.... What is at the root of this disorientation? The best explanation I know about is revealed in an ambitious 20-country opinion poll conducted under the auspices of the University of Maryland's World Public Opinion initiative, which shows global opinion similarly split, with the following insight: "Among those who believe that the Afghan people want NATO forces to leave, 76 percent say that NATO forces should leave. Among those who believe that the Afghan people want NATO forces to stay, 83 percent say NATO forces should stay."

I don't have any polling data to prove it, but I would bet a dollar to a dime that most Canadians believe the lie that most Afghans want NATO forces to leave their country. The primary function of Canada's so-called "anti-war" activists is to make you to believe that lie, and Canada's punditocracy has encouraged you to believe it.

I would also bet a dollar to a dime that if most Canadians knew the truth, which is that the overwhelming majority of Afghans have consistently supported and continue to support NATO's efforts in their country, Canadian support for a robust Afghan mission would be overwhelmingly favorable, and we'd be closer to the relative sophistication of Indians, Kenyans and Nigerians. And then we could move the Canadian debates out of the weeds, to questions that really matter ....

I can't wait for Canadian polling firms to ask similar questions....

 

[armygirl23]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there. I do not know every aspect, but I do know I would like to see all of our troops (peace keepers) back safely. I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed. This fight is no longer worth fighting however. It is time for our men and women to come back. We had our time to peace keep and fight and the time was then. Lets hope this is really our "Closing out tour" and maybe our government will re think some of what has gone on. More people should be given the vote on what we fight against and for whom.

  :camo:  :deadhorse:

 

[MikeL]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there. I do not know every aspect, but I do know I would like to see all of our troops (peace keepers) back safely. I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed. This fight is no longer worth fighting however. It is time for our men and women to come back. We had our time to peace keep and fight and the time was then. Lets hope this is really our "Closing out tour" and maybe our government will re think some of what has gone on. More people should be given the vote on what we fight against and for whom.

  :camo:  :deadhorse:

You come off as one of those people who don't fully understand what is going on in Afghanistan.

Canadian Forces are not working as the blue beret UN Peace Keepers a lot of people tend to associate with Canada.  Canadian Forces are conducting Combat Operations as well as Mentoring, CIMIC, PRT, etc  No one can be guarenteed safety, especially in Afghanistan.  Also, why is it no longer worth while for Canadians to be in Afghanistan?  Have you ever been there? Are you well versed on what is actually going on over there, and what has been going on over the years?  Also, it isn't so much of a "Closing out tour" more of a relocation from Kandahar to Northern Afghanistan. As well as the mission changing from Combat to Training. 

Just a FYI, you don't have to add multiple images/animations at the end of your comments here, especially if they aren't beneficial to getting your point across.

 

[Loachman]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there.

I find that you are one of them.

but I do know I would like to see all of our troops (peace keepers) back safely.

As do we all, but do not ever call me a "peace keeper". That is not what I joined for, it is not what I trained for, and it is not what I do. My entire time in has been geared to training for or conducting combat operations.

Peacekeeping was one role that the CF performed as and when able, but it was never a core activity.

I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed.

I bet that if we were guaranteed complete safety (an impossibility anywhere), then fewer people would be interested in joining in the first place, and those who did would be less capable of performing to the level necessary when called upon to do so.

This fight is no longer worth fighting however.

Based upon what? Explain yourself, please.

It is time for our men and women to come back.

Based upon what? Explain yourself, please.

We are starting to see the fruits of our labours. Many of us are far from thrilled to be pulled off of a job prematurely, and turn it over to somebody else who will take all of the credit that we worked and bled for.

More people should be given the vote on what we fight against and for whom.

More people should educate themselves before spewing forth unsubstantiated opinions. More people should be required to write a comprehensive test of knowledge before being allowed to vote on anything.

 

[MrsAlex]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there.

This is the only thing I agree with you about.

People don't understand what is really going on because they only see what the media let them see. Of course, war tends to be unpopular to begin with so it's no surprise most of the population is not supporting this mission. What the CF are doing over there IS making a difference. Those who have gone on several tours have seen the changes. There is a job to be done in Afghanistan, and they doing what needs be done. But they are not the ones who write the news.

Naturally, we all want the troops to come home safely. But people got to realize that although it's wonderful the CF can be useful as peace keeper and give a hand in case of catastrophe, the first purpose of an army is to fight.

 

[armyvern]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there. I do not know every aspect, but I do know I would like to see all of our troops (peace keepers) back safely. I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed. This fight is no longer worth fighting however. It is time for our men and women to come back. We had our time to peace keep and fight and the time was then. Lets hope this is really our "Closing out tour" and maybe our government will re think some of what has gone on. More people should be given the vote on what we fight against and for whom.

  :camo:  :deadhorse:

I'm here and have ~ 8 months to go yet ...

The fact that you would even think to use "Peace Keep" (by the way, Canada doesn't have any offical "Peace Keepers" as a job description, but we do have "soldiers [who always have fought and died for Canada BTW]) tells me that you have no schmick as to what we are accomplishing here. Nada schmick.

 

[majorchuck]

gentlemen we all know the price of freedom and democracy is blood unfortunatly it is the blood of our finnest men and women and as a proud canadian in every major conflict we were there and we turned the tide in ww1 pashondale and vimi in ww2 we were the shock troops the germans feard us again cyprus and peasekeepers with one mag of ammo the list is long now the war on terror we must be there and we will fight these criminals where ever they hide and dam the polls  if I was a young man I would join up and I councel all young men and women to do 5 years and get the training of a life time . yes we must be in the sand box as long as it takes even is us pulls out.

 

[Loachman]

Please punctuate properly and capitalize where appropriate, as we expect of all posters here. More people will read your posts as a result.

 

[Wolf117]

I find alot of people don't know what is really going out there. I do not know every aspect, but I do know I would like to see all of our troops (peace keepers) back safely. I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed. This fight is no longer worth fighting however. It is time for our men and women to come back. We had our time to peace keep and fight and the time was then. Lets hope this is really our "Closing out tour" and maybe our government will re think some of what has gone on. More people should be given the vote on what we fight against and for whom.

  :camo:  :deadhorse:

Armygirl, while I appreciate the sentiment that you wish to see us all make it back safely, I would appreciate it more if you not refer to what I and so many other Canadian soldiers have done over there as (peacekeeping).  Because the long and the short of it is that is a factually incorrect statement for so many reasons.  I'll highlight two I think are most important.

One, I did not deploy there twice to stand between two or more warring factions to act as a neutral party.  I was part of one of the warring factions, that of the Afghan Government supported by an international coalition of nations that ranged from Canada to the Kingdom of Jordan.  I rolled out of camp armed and ready for combat in a green or tan coloured vehicle (not white) with a tan camo helmet cover (not blue).  To say what I did was peacekeeping is ignorant of historical fact and serves only to confuse others as to our true military history.

Two, peacekeeping operations come from authorization between Chapter 6 and 7 of the UN Charter.  The difference here is that while the Afghan mission is a UN authorized mission, it isn't based on the concept of peacekeeping but rather it derives it's legal legitimacy from a resolution passed on Afghanistan by the UN security council.

To suggest that the mission in Afghanistan is peacekeeping is wrong both factually and morally.  Factually for the differences stated above, morally because it leads to misinform a public which is still trying to learn what the Canadian Forces are and what our history is.  In short that comment reaks of a politically motivated worldview that states Canada is a "peacekeeping" nation without any first hand knowledge as to what peacekeeping is or what it is to serve in the Canadian Forces.

 

[Wolf117]

I bet if we were guarantedd complete safety then more people would not be opposed.

Herein lies the very source of your lack of understanding of Canada's military and what we do.  NOTHING we do overseas can have guaranteed safety.  The very fact we are being put to work suggests that there is an unsafe environment to begin with.  Whether that be war, disaster or civil disorder.  Much of what we do is hard, but nothing in the world worth doing was ever easy.

We do not seek to guarantee our safety when there are threats to combat.  Let me tell you a short story.  On my first tour to Kandahar we had been made aware of an issue facing locals.  You see they were finally gaining enough confidence to send their kids (boys AND GIRLS) to school in the local government run facility.  However, the Taliban insurgents in that area were not okay with that.  So to deter these kids from attending class they sent out two man teams on motorbikes armed with spraybottles filled with battery acid.  They would spray kids in the eyes who were on their way to or from school.  So as a father, and a human being let me say honestly that I would face any danger any risk to see those men stopped.  That's why I volunteered to go to Afghanistan, twice, that's why I'd go again.  Because I KNOW what kind of foe we face there and I do not feel like abandoning the rest of that country to their brand of tyranny.

I personally do not care if any of those who are not active participants in this conflict have poor opinion polls about whether we should or shouldn't be there.  What I care about is that those who ARE going over there and ARE participating in this conflict are fully educated about what they're facing and that they agree with what they're going over to do.  That they are volunteers and on board with this.  And honestly I haven't met a Canadian soldier yet who was being sent to Afghanistan against his or her will.

 

[Good2Golf]

Imagine if fire fighters or the police needed "guaranteed complete safety" to garner support from the public they serve...  :

 

[Bergen1]

Herein lies the very source of your lack of understanding of Canada's military and what we do.  NOTHING we do overseas can have guaranteed safety.  The very fact we are being put to work suggests that there is an unsafe environment to begin with.  Whether that be war, disaster or civil disorder.  Much of what we do is hard, but nothing in the world worth doing was ever easy.

We do not seek to guarantee our safety when there are threats to combat.  Let me tell you a short story.  On my first tour to Kandahar we had been made aware of an issue facing locals.  You see they were finally gaining enough confidence to send their kids (boys AND GIRLS) to school in the local government run facility.  However, the Taliban insurgents in that area were not okay with that.  So to deter these kids from attending class they sent out two man teams on motorbikes armed with spraybottles filled with battery acid.  They would spray kids in the eyes who were on their way to or from school.  So as a father, and a human being let me say honestly that I would face any danger any risk to see those men stopped.  That's why I volunteered to go to Afghanistan, twice, that's why I'd go again.  Because I KNOW what kind of foe we face there and I do not feel like abandoning the rest of that country to their brand of tyranny.

I personally do not care if any of those who are not active participants in this conflict have poor opinion polls about whether we should or shouldn't be there.  What I care about is that those who ARE going over there and ARE participating in this conflict are fully educated about what they're facing and that they agree with what they're going over to do.  That they are volunteers and on board with this.  And honestly I haven't met a Canadian soldier yet who was being sent to Afghanistan against his or her will.

All I will say is well said and "Cheers!".

 

[OldSolduer]

Herein lies the very source of your lack of understanding of Canada's military and what we do.  NOTHING we do overseas can have guaranteed safety.  The very fact we are being put to work suggests that there is an unsafe environment to begin with.  Whether that be war, disaster or civil disorder.  Much of what we do is hard, but nothing in the world worth doing was ever easy.

We do not seek to guarantee our safety when there are threats to combat.  Let me tell you a short story.  On my first tour to Kandahar we had been made aware of an issue facing locals.  You see they were finally gaining enough confidence to send their kids (boys AND GIRLS) to school in the local government run facility.  However, the Taliban insurgents in that area were not okay with that.  So to deter these kids from attending class they sent out two man teams on motorbikes armed with spraybottles filled with battery acid.  They would spray kids in the eyes who were on their way to or from school.  So as a father, and a human being let me say honestly that I would face any danger any risk to see those men stopped.  That's why I volunteered to go to Afghanistan, twice, that's why I'd go again.  Because I KNOW what kind of foe we face there and I do not feel like abandoning the rest of that country to their brand of tyranny.

I personally do not care if any of those who are not active participants in this conflict have poor opinion polls about whether we should or shouldn't be there.  What I care about is that those who ARE going over there and ARE participating in this conflict are fully educated about what they're facing and that they agree with what they're going over to do.  That they are volunteers and on board with this.  And honestly I haven't met a Canadian soldier yet who was being sent to Afghanistan against his or her will.

Well Said!!

 

[The Bread Guy]

Herein lies the very source of your lack of understanding of Canada's military and what we do.  NOTHING we do overseas can have guaranteed safety.  The very fact we are being put to work suggests that there is an unsafe environment to begin with.  Whether that be war, disaster or civil disorder.  Much of what we do is hard, but nothing in the world worth doing was ever easy.

We do not seek to guarantee our safety when there are threats to combat.  Let me tell you a short story.  On my first tour to Kandahar we had been made aware of an issue facing locals.  You see they were finally gaining enough confidence to send their kids (boys AND GIRLS) to school in the local government run facility.  However, the Taliban insurgents in that area were not okay with that.  So to deter these kids from attending class they sent out two man teams on motorbikes armed with spraybottles filled with battery acid.  They would spray kids in the eyes who were on their way to or from school.  So as a father, and a human being let me say honestly that I would face any danger any risk to see those men stopped.  That's why I volunteered to go to Afghanistan, twice, that's why I'd go again.  Because I KNOW what kind of foe we face there and I do not feel like abandoning the rest of that country to their brand of tyranny.

I personally do not care if any of those who are not active participants in this conflict have poor opinion polls about whether we should or shouldn't be there.  What I care about is that those who ARE going over there and ARE participating in this conflict are fully educated about what they're facing and that they agree with what they're going over to do.  That they are volunteers and on board with this.  And honestly I haven't met a Canadian soldier yet who was being sent to Afghanistan against his or her will.

Well put - milpoints inbound